PCC Newsletter NEUMANN UNIVERSITY D E PA R T M E N T O F PA S T O R A L C L I N I C A L MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING HOMECOMING 2015
Celebration for Fiftieth Anniversary Hosts Dan Horan, OFM The Department of Pastoral and Theological Studies welcomed Franciscan friar and author Rev. Dan Horan, OFM as the speaker for the annual PCC lecture during a special Homecoming Weekend celebrating Neumann University’s Fiftieth Anniversary year. Over 50 members of the Neumann University community and friends attended Father Dan’s lecture on Saturday morning, October 17. These participants were joined by other members of the Neumann community and a number of local Franciscan Sisters. Father Dan Horan speaks on his theme of :”The Name of God is Relationship.”
Participants began gathering at 8:30 a.m. in the Schmidt Room of the Living and Learning Center I for a continental breakfast and time to visit with new and old friends, classmates and colleagues. Dr. Jim Houck set the reflective mood of the morning by leading all in a brief prayer on Friendship, followed by Dr. Beth Toler’s introduction of Father Dan. Father is the author of numerous books and articles, including his book and blog titled “Dating God,” and a recent text, The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton: A New Look at the Spiritual Inspiration of His Life, Thought, and Writing (Ave Maria Press, 2014). His presentation on Saturday morning shared the intriguing title of his upcoming book, “The Name of God is Relationship.” Continued on page 2 I N S I D E TH I S IS S U E:
After the conference, Father met with the Pastoral and Theological faculty and caught up with an old friend, Kevin Martin, whom he met at Gethsemane, KY.
Homecoming Features Friar
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Transformation is Key Word
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Couseling Spells Alphabet Soup
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Honor Society Commits to Hunger
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SF+D Student in Cursillo
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Faculty Feats Reviewed
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Check What is Happening
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November, 2015
PCC Newsletter
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HOMECOMING 2015 — continued from page 1 Farther Dan began his remarks by sharing his sense of personal connection with Neumann University and the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, originating from the time he spent in Wilmington, DE during his novitiate as a Franciscan Friar. His interactive presentation invited his listeners to reconsider key scriptural passages imaging God as “relationship,” beginning with his rereading of the Exodus account of God’s revelation to Moses at the burning bush. Calling attention to the response Moses receives Father argued that the primary name of God emphasized in this revelation is relational – “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Father Dan’s visit to Neumann University extended into the afternoon, as he joined the Neumann community to sample local delicacies at the “Taste of Aston” luncheon in the Bruder Life Center parking lot. At 2:00 p.m., Father Dan met with undergraduate students, faculty and staff for an informal “Theology on Tap” gathering in the hospitality suite of the Mirenda Center.
After presenting a number of witnesses to this relational understanding of God, ranging from St. Augustine, to St. Francis, to contemporary theologians, Father Dan invited audience members to reflect and share together in small groups about how they imagine God. The morning concluded with further dialogue between Father Dan and participants during an extended question and answer period.
(Top) Student Mary Mellon Trotter welcomes Christina Farrell who came from Public Relations to meet and greet both members of Pastoral and Theological Studies as well as alumni. (Lower) After the presentation Father Horan invited the 50+ attendees to discuss what each one’s sense of God is in his or her life.
Some well-recognized faces were seen throughout the Homecoming festivities. (Top two) Dr. Beth Toler shares insights with students Sophia Vila and Joe German while Dr. Houck engages grad Ernst Hellriegel. (Lower two) In a moment of reflection Dr. Mirenda considers a point from the lecture and later S. Suzanne escorts Father Horan through the “Taste of Aston.”
November, 2015
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Transformation —
Students capstone papers capture Papal keyword When Pope Francis “came to town” and visited the World Meeting of Families to speak at liturgies, parkway celebrations, and even within the walls of a prison, a major word in his texts was that of “Transformation.” Francis has been titled by some as the Pope of Transformation. He seems to affirm such a title when he shares on this sense of doing a new thing as he did in a book he wrote in 2011 before becoming pontiff entitled Sobre el cielo y la tierra (On heaven and earth): In the history of the Catholic Church, the true renovators are the saints. They are the true reformers, the ones who change, transform, lead and revive spiritual paths. Another example: Francis of Assisi, who introduced a new attitude towards poverty in Christianity when faced with the luxury, pride and vanity of the civil and ecclesiastical powers of the time. He introduced a mysticism of poverty, of detachment, and he changed history. In December five PCC students will complete their seminar papers and share their insights into being pastorally, clinically, professionally and spiritually prepared. In parts of each and every one of those students’ capstone, a reverberating term appears. They speak of TRANSFORMATION. Here, each one shares on this construct. Joe German, out of his love Margalita Poletunow, of Celtic spirituality, shares: whose early life began in Transformation is starting at Haiti, reaches into the heart one point in your life and arrivof relationship: Transforing later at a better undermation is the awakening to a standing of yourself, of God fuller awareness of God’s and of others. Self actualizagrace in my life and the life tion comes about through reof others; an awakening to flection, understanding ourmy identity as an eternally selves psychologically and beloved of God. theologically. We all lose the selves that we thought we Danielle McLaughlin, the were and find who we were new mother of her son, Admade by God to be. am Daniel, shares: With her background in her naTransformation is not about tive French-European roots, changing, it is about allowSophie Villa says: Transforing yourself be the person mation is a continuous moveyou are meant to be. ment toward growth that frees us from a set pattern of ideas or ways of doing. A fixed mind or Drawing on her rich Jewheart is like a circle, it traps. ish tradition, Susan KoWhen the mind or heart is gon, states: Transfortrapped, it is lifeless. Transformation is facing the dismation is the process of crackcomfort of the unknown, ing the shell that traps our heart or mind so that they sitting with it, and moving may beat and flow freely. through it to discover new depths of the self.
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Alphabet Soup
ACES Conference Traces Counseling’s Evolution When S. Suzanne and three of her students from the Ethics and Professional Issues class attended the ACES conference on Friday, October 9, they were going to see neither the harmonizing quartet from the Philly area, nor the 2011 Phillies pitching roster. Instead they were attending the Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors, a division of the American Counseling Association (ACA), which as a founding association begun in 1952, “emphasizes the need for quality education and supervision of counselors for all work settings” (from ACA website). The division meeting was held in center city Philadelphia with its keynoter, Lee Mun Wah speaking on cultural diversity. While the three students found many workshops and poster presentations that offered cutting edge information in the fields of counseling and diversity, S. Suzanne committed herself to the ancillary meetings, those sponsored by various professional organizations connected to counseling and its growth and improvement. “The day became for me a kind of alphabet soup, if you will, with my moving from NBCC to CACREP to CSI and all the interconnections between,” S. Suzanne said of the day’s events. “Perhaps the most meaningful time I spent was at the final session I attended. Advertised as ‘a panel of three of the counseling profession’s most prominent (and excellent) leaders who have shaped the profession through their dedication and service over the last half-century,’ it was so much more than that.” The three foundational figures who shared on the history of counseling since the 50s and 60s were Carol Bobby, president and CEO of CACREP, our accrediting body; Thomas Clawson, the president and CEO of NBCC; and Thomas Sweeney, now the president emeritus and former Executive Director and founding President of Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International (CSI). The story told by these three leaders equaled only those of other pioneer movements. The interchange among them shared how from the very beginning carving out a professional identity meant taking on various other mavens from related fields. Dr. Sweeney recalled how in the 1980s when he
considered the initiative of a counseling honor society, the whole arena of counseling was more disparaged than honored. “When I threw out the idea of a Chi Sigma Iota, I was reminded that counseling was hardly even an occupation, much less a profession.” The trio pointed to landmark events across the last 40 or so years that have built the strong foundation on which counseling rests today. Along with the past, the group heard some of the challenges of the present. With professional clinical psychologists campaigning to ride the coattails of professional counselors by taking on the hard-won licenses which many states have supported and social workers vying for licenses for members in their field with no more than a baccalaureate degree, the competition is increasing. Therefore, both student members and those in the profession were urged to do all in their power to advocate, advance and ally with the professional organizations that continue to work for quality and identity. So, the ACAs, CSIs, CACREPs and NBCCs of today look back on a history of incredible feats and forward to more challenge. The PA Association of Counselor Education and Supervision (PACES) meeting will take place on Saturday, November 7, 4:15 – 5:45 p.m. as part of the 47th annual PA Counseling Association at Penn Stater Conference Center in State College.
In Memoriam The members of the Pastoral and Theological Studies programs express deepest sympathy to Dr. John Kruse on the loss of his mother Carolyn.
November, 2015
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With Homeless, Hunger Foremost
Honor Society Commits to Homeless/Hungry Alpha Omega Nu is here with a bigger footprint! With its move into the fourth year of presence on Neumann’s campus, the local chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, the international honor society for graduate counseling students, is making a major impression. At the opening meeting of the Executive Officers and Chapter Faculty Advisors (CFA) two main goals were established for the coming academic year. Present to determine plans and projects going forward were the officers elected at the end of last Spring semester: President Susan Kogon, President-elect Stephanie Fortunato, Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Barr and CFAs Jim Houck and Suzanne Mayer, ihm. The dual objectives established by the group for all the members are: first, to increase the presence of the local chapter on all possible media and internet sites, and second, to strengthen the ties between the current members and former graduates of the program or previous members of AONu. In terms of the first, the objective is almost completely met. The chapter now has a web page on the Neumann site complete with background on the chapter and the international society. Just by going to http://www.neumann.edu/AONU/, interested individuals can access the new site. The local chapter is grateful to Stephanie for her work on this project and to Lisa Roberts Cadorette, the Neumann webmaster for her invaluable help. The social media landscape is also about to change as Elizabeth is getting together the forms and permissions to launch a LinkedIn site with a “Request to Join” option for members. With these two key areas taking hold, the second objective, that of strengthening ties with past graduates and members, will have an outreach platform. The details of meetings and service projects will soon be a part of the media/Internet announcements. For now, a group email was just sent to all current members of AONu announcing the Fall gathering to be held Sunday, November 15 from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m. on the second floor of the RAB. The evening will feature time for social connections, sharing, meeting and greeting, light refreshments as well as an educational piece on AONu’s focus for the year, that of the needs of the homeless. The officers noted in the selection of the time and purpose that the week before Thanksgiving has come to be dedicated as National Hunger and Homeless Awareness (H+H) Week, this year lasting from November 14 through 21. The NationalHomeless organization promotes the week as “a time for us all to start to think about what we are thankful for, a perfect time to share our compassion with our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness, and work toward a world where no one has to experience Hunger and Homelessness” (NationalHomeless.org). Raising the awareness is the hope in bringing together the “best and brightest” counselors and counselors-in-training to hear from representatives of two major homeless centers in the area: Anna’s Place, a sponsored ministry of the Franciscan sisters, and Sunday Breakfast Mission of Wilmington, a shelter providing counsel, education, training and meals and direction for men, women and children who otherwise would be living on the streets. At the time, plans for programs to support the shelters will be discussed and determined.
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Up Close and Personal
Lay Minister Uses SF+D Background for Cursillo Margaret “Peg” Choinski is in her third semester as a part-time graduate student at Neumann University, pursuing the 24-credit certificate in Spiritual Formation and Direction. Peg commutes to her Tuesday evening SD+F courses from Barto, PA, up in Berks County. Married and the mother of five adult children, to her delight, she just became a grandmother. Peg returned to Neumann as an undergraduate after being a stay at home mom for almost 30 years. She completed her B.S. in Liberal Studies in the summer of 2014 and began the Spiritual Formation and Direction program that September. Peg states she was drawn to the SFD program out of her own experience of being in spiritual direction and in serving as a volunteer lay minister in various setHow much tings, particularly as Lay Director for Philadelphia Cursillo. As their the world website notes, “Curcio is a needs the movement of the Roman Catholic Church that is committed to color of helping each member to foster a many perdeeper relationship with Christ, sonalities in so that they can bring Christ into the everyday moments of their order to re- lives. In that role, she led the Philadelphia Cursillo Community flect God’s to help host the Cursillo National love in all of Encounter at Villanova this past summer, welcoming 700 Curcreation. sillistas from all over the country and Canada from July 23 — 26.
Reflecting on the connections between her role as Lay Director of Cursillo and her studies in Spiritual Formation and Direction, Peg comments that “Spending time learning about various forms of spiritualty helps me in this role. When we study the different personalities of the spiritual teachers along with the gifts that they continue to bring, we learn how much the world needs the color of many personalities in order to reflect God’s love in all of creation.
We also learn that living out our faith day by day, is not always an easy thing to do. As we study their responses to struggles, this normalizes difficult moments, while also giving new tools in learning how to work through them. Added to this, through ongoing work in the SFD classes, there are opportunities to come to know myself in a deeper level. The more I learn about my limitations and gifts, the more I am able to share myself authentically with others. Cursillo started in Spain in the 1940s in order to help people who were not coming to know God’s love through the traditional church setting. All of my work in Neumann’s SF+D program continues to confirm for me how powerfully Cursillo’s charism of helping people to encounter self, encounter Christ and encounter others, can impact their spiritual journey.” Currently taking the joint PCC/SFD course, the Theology for Pastoral Identity, one of her classmates is her brother, Dan Moran, a student in the M.S. in Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Counseling. At the conclusion of her studies in Spiritual Formation and Direction, Peg hopes to become a Spiritual Director and serve “wherever God calls her to serve.”
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November, 2015
In August, Suzanne Mayer, ihm, Ph.D. received training as a Spiritual Care provider for the American Red Cross, a special category of disaster training to provide chaplain type services at scenes marked by crisis and trauma. From September 4 through 7, she was part of a CACREP team review that visited Columbia International University for an initial accreditation assessment, arriving as a major dam breach began spilling water across the Columbia landscape. Despite the historic rise of 24 inches of water, the team completed all but the hard copy reviews. On Monday, October 19, S. Suzanne traveled to central New Jersey to Monmouth University to present on spiritual integration at the Consortium for Excellence and Equity. At the June board meeting of the Institute of Congregational Trauma and Growth, a non-profit organization that provides the latest information and training for trauma treatment among religious organizations, Dr. Sophia Park was appointed to serve as the Vice Chair and will help to promote and expand services across wider cultural groups and faith organizations. In addition to her on-going, year-long participation in the Advanced Certificate in Supervision program with Smith College School of Social Work, Dr. Beth Toler presented a workshop on the nature of pastoral counseling supervision at the annual fall meeting of the Southeastern Region of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors on October 25. Also, be sure to check out her review of Mary Beth Werdel and Robert Wick’s book, Primer on Posttraumatic Growth in the May 2015 edition of Pastoral Psychology.
On August 8, Sr. Diane Tomkinson, OSF, Ph.D. facilitated a Gathering Day for the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, their companions, former members and co-ministers reflecting on Pope Francis’s Apostolic Letter The Joy of the Gospel, and how participants live the joy of the Gospel as members of the extended “Franciscan family.” One of the four featured speakers at this year’s event was our own Dr. John Kruse. More recently, Sr. Diane represented Neumann University at the October 3 inauguration ceremony for President Valerie Smith as she was officially installed as the first female, African-American president of Swarthmore College. Sr. Diane is an alumna (’81) of Swarthmore College. Drs. Mary Beth Yount, Diane Tomkinson, osf, John Kruse and Eileen Flanagan represented the Department of Pastoral and Theological Studies at the Annual Regional Dinner Discussion of the College Theology Society (CTS) at LaSalle University on October 16. Discussion of the topic, “Gender Differences and the Making of Liturgical History,” served as a springboard for engaging the 2016 Annual CTS Convention theme: “Power and Liturgy.” Dr. Jim Houck shares on his newest class in the Ph.D. in PC, stating, “ This Fall we in the Pastoral Counseling Program welcomed our third cohort, bringing the total enrolled in the program to 34 students. It seemed like only yesterday that we were welcoming our first 12 students. Students continue to enroll from diverse professional counseling backgrounds, such as private practice, drug and alcohol agencies, school counseling, pastoral professional agencies, etc. The Ph.D. program trains students to develop their scholastic/leadership skills in areas such as counseling education, mental health research, and advanced clinical work and supervision.”
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Take advantage of the upcoming events. AAPC Atlantic Region 2015 Conference Engaging Spiritual and Religious Diversity and Difference Plenary: Kathleen J. Greider, Ph.D. November 13-14, 2015
PCC 784A: LOSS AND GRIEF COUNSELING SATURDAY, December 5 • 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. INSTRUCTOR: James Houck, Ph.D., LPC Can be taken as a workshop, for 1* credit, or eligible for eight NBCC contact hours. This workshop explores the clinical and spiritual aspects of grief and bereavement. Personal losses of the student are explored for their implications on counseling bereft individuals. Special attention is also given to understanding grief and bereavement within various specific areas of loss. James A. Houck, Ph.D., is the Director of the Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling Program . May be taken for 1 credit or 8 contact hours. Please note change in credit value.
Department of Pastoral and Theological Studies Neumann University One Neumann Drive Aston, PA 19014
Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Newsletter Neumann University, One Neumann Drive, Aston, PA 19014 November, 2015 ______________________________________ The Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Counseling Newsletter is a department publication whose issues are prepared several times during the academic year. Written by and for members of the Pastoral Care and Counseling Department, it contains articles, reviews, interviews, and forms of reflective material of interest to these members. All material is submitted in advance to the editor of the publication. Editor: Suzanne Mayer, ihm, Ph.D. Contributions: Janice Merrill-Rossi, Sophia Park, Beth Toler, S. Diane Tomkinson, osf Homecoming Photos: Thanks to Public Relations Staff